aLynne Takeda and her husband hunted for years with bows
and arrows, but there came a time when Takeda thought
she’d never shoot again.
“It was interesting because my husband passed away almost
14 years ago, and I had convinced myself that I couldn’t do
archery anymore,” she said.
But in 2013, Takeda’s employer, the Division of Wildlife
Resources, decided to bring the National Archery in the Schools
Program to the state and selected her as the program manager.
Takeda said she wouldn’t mind facilitating, but when she went to
the first training meeting, the instructor offered her a bow.
“I panicked because I was like, ‘I can’t shoot; I haven’t done
it by myself,’” Takeda said. “The guy teaching the class made me
shoot, though, and so once I did that, I got back into it.”
Takeda helped the division bring a two-week archery course
to 95 P.E. classes from St. George to Moab and from Vernal to
Logan. As a side project, she taught archery classes at recreation
centers across the state, several of which have created their own
program based on the things she taught them. This summer,
Takeda’s brought her knowledge and the division’s bows to the
South Jordan Softball Complex at 10778 South Redwood Road,
teaching people age 10 and up about her favorite sport.
Megan and Preston Darby said they wanted to find a new
hobby this summer, so, not knowing what to expect, they signed
up for the first session of the division’s archery classes in South
Jordan.
At first, the siblings said they weren’t sure how to hold the
bow and found the stance of an archer somewhat awkward, but
after the first day in Takeda’s three-day program, they said they

felt more confident.
“It’s actually pretty simple,” Preston, 10, said. “It’s fun and
amazing.”
Takeda said Preston’s impression of archery isn’t
uncommon. Children who usually show improved selfconfidence, motivation, behavior and focus after completing the
program, according to a survey conducted by the division.
The program focuses on 11 basic steps of archery. Takeda
demonstrates the steps to the group while they practice the
techniques on a string bow, a training item that allows students

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to build muscle memory and practice releasing without firing
arrows.
After the group has the 11 basic steps down, Takeda unveils
the targets. They have the technique down before they try to hit
the bullseye which makes them more skilled archers, Takeda
said.
“What’s interesting with archery is you don’t have to be
the biggest, the strongest or the fastest to be a good archer,”
Takeda said. “Everyone, pretty much everyone, can participate
in archery.”
Unlike football, soccer, baseball and other sports that wear
on people’s bodies overtime, archery can be done at any age and
for a lifetime, Takeda said. Takeda said she’s grateful for the
opportunity that she’s had to teach archery through the division.
Because of that assignment, her lifetime of archery wasn’t cut
short.
Takeda’s final summer archery class at South Jordan begins
on Aug. 16. Email Takeda at ralynne.takeda@utah.gov for more
information. l